"I think the name 'Ultimate Challenge' isn't very good," Vid said to Michael, "An ultimate challenge shouldn't have an 'ultimate'."
"What if your end-level boss is defeated?" Michael asked.
"Then tell the challenger that it's just a Black Iron boss. After Black Iron, there's Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Jade, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, King. Then One-Star King, Two-Star King, Three-Star King... up to Nine-Star King, and there's the Divine Level. Isn't that amazing?"
"Spare everyone!" Michael rolled his eyes. "This way, you'd never finish this challenge game in a lifetime."
"Why finish it?" Vid retorted. "A challenge game with an ending will soon become a residue of memory. Only an endless one makes it hard to part with."
"I actually think... this memory will never become residue..."
Michael said, "To be honest, did you come up with this whole thing because everyone disliked Vid's version of the escape game?"
"... How could that be?" Vid, with some guilt, refuted, "Of course I thought about it for a long time, figuring out how to make these games more fun and useful for everyone... It's not a spur-of-the-moment thing."
"Don't make excuses; your hesitation says it all," Michael quipped.
Vid: "..."
The professors nearby were paying attention to the students' challenge progress while smiling at Vid and Michael's banter. Even Professor Snape didn't say anything, appearing very tolerant.
In this stretch of time, Vid truly recognized the power of the school professors.
His memory returned to yesterday noon.
...
Padma, pulling along a few girls, completed a new sketch by noon.
It depicted a massive space divided into seven different zones, each containing a complex maze. From the outer layer to the inner one, the areas grew smaller, eventually leading to the same point.
Players had to choose one of the seven entrances to start their journey, pass through seven levels, and finally face the end-level boss.
If they failed or gave up, the challenge had to start over from the beginning.
Michael and the other members of SSC borrowed a complete set of "Care of Magical Creatures" from the library, compiling thirty-seven suitable Fantastic Beasts for students.
Vid, through the Friendship Book, contacted Professor Morry and consulted Mr. Scamander, eventually designing a new Alchemy Work.
Its common name is "Real-Time Scoreboard."
But the inscription Vid engraved on it was—[Hero Rankings]!
While he was tirelessly working on the Alchemy Work, Professor Flitwick gathered all the school staff for assistance—from Dumbledore to Filch, from the soon-to-retire Professor Kettleburn to the Thestrals pulling the school's carriages, none were left out.
Most of the staff eagerly joined in, except for Filch, who grumbled about the school's mischief-makers creating chaos during this opportunity.
First, the professors from the Herbology class and the advanced students stepped in. Overnight, countless bushes grew spontaneously, encompassing the former game field and forming the basic structure.
The thorny bushes, although not as dangerous as the Devil's Snares, were quite painful when pricked. They grew densely, with gaps small enough only for tiny insects like ants to pass through.
Then Professor Flitwick and the advanced Spell Class students crafted various terrains between the bushy areas.
There were alleyways like the earlier game field, swamps, forests, flower fields, or small hills, and grasslands that appeared flat but hid traps beneath the surface.
Professor Flitwick cast Magic Spells on some keys or paper airplanes, allowing them to freely fly within the area. Students needed to catch them to obtain clues.
Flitwick even invited Lockhart to join, who waved his magic wand enthusiastically, claiming he was creating a unique landscape, only for a spell to accidentally rebound on him, blasting him away into a trap Flitwick had just set.
Flitwick had students take Lockhart to the school infirmary.
Next were Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and the students adept at Transfiguration. They freely used Transfiguration Techniques to make the maze area even more mesmerizing and bizarre.
Branches turned into arches, a dead leaf became a hanging rag, and a rotting apple on the ground transformed into a carriage emitting a decaying aura.
Dumbledore also set up small mechanisms. Those who fell into the traps would temporarily turn into goats or wild boars, eagerly anticipating the moment the traps took effect.
Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey took out their stock of Magic Potions, hiding them in the maze. Some could repel the Fantastic Beasts, others could confuse enemies, some could heal, offering a range of effects.
However, Professor Snape was unwilling to let his Magic Potions be used for free by students who didn't appreciate them. He placed counteracting potions next to the useful ones.
For example, potions that induce vomiting or nonstop hiccupping, others causing fainting or irritability.
Then, the professor racked his brain to leave numerous logic puzzles or potion quizzes, with wrong answers leading to the consequences of inattentive classes.
Finally, Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid, following Michael's list, distributed various Magical Creatures into different zones.
Both were eager to have the Fire Dragon Nobeta serve as the ultimate boss, but the other professors unanimously rejected the idea.
Eventually, they adopted Vid's suggestion.
The final boss is a Ball Python enlarged by an Enlargement Charm.
This ordinary, non-venomous snake, under the influence of magic, could resist most Magic Spells, move swiftly, and grow massive like a prehistoric behemoth.
The giant serpent moved slowly in the final area, its scales shimmering with a metallic sheen. Merely gazing from afar was enough to scare timid children to tears.
Vid eagerly anticipated the day students would defeat it.
Of course, there were also harmless ordinary animals, and despite their harmlessness, there were enlarged insects with terrifying appearances.
Vid mischievously assigned higher scores to those seemingly scariest creatures. Challengers aiming to gain points must face them.
Humph.
Fairies are cute, aren't they? Can Fairies give you points?
Vid thought.
A worm enlarged and tunneled into the ground, creating some underground passages for the maze. Professor Flitwick hid the entrance but left behind riddles full of hints.
Thestrals were also among them, ready to escort students in distress out of the maze, albeit occasionally setting a terrifying atmosphere.
Dumbledore specifically assigned a group of House-Elves to act as lifeguards.
They could Apparate freely at Hogwarts. Their large ears could hear anything within the maze, and their natural magic allowed them to sense people's most urgent needs, making them the best lifeguards.
This was also the first time House-Elves appeared openly in front of students.
When they first appeared, they frightened some first-year Muggle-born students, who mistook them for maze monsters and shouted, "Get away!"
However, students who had been rescued began to affectionately call these elves "Little Saviors," and some secretly gave the House-Elves candy or Knut, hoping they would help skip classes or defeat opponents, which, of course, was not allowed.
With everyone's joint effort, the new game field "grew" visibly in just a day and a half and began its first "trial run."
In everyone's eyes, this was a miracle.
At the start of the trial run, Vid and the professors situated themselves in various directions, observing for hidden dangers or areas needing improvement.
Students lined up in long queues at the entrance. Filch, scowling, monitored the students to ensure they followed the rules and didn't cut in line.
Some, even if quickly sent out by House-Elves, rushed to the back of the line to try again as soon as possible.
The reason motivating students to keep challenging was not only the presence of a large real-life game in their otherwise dull study life but also the massive, dynamic leaderboard near the entrance.
[Daily Scoreboard];
[Single Challenge Scoreboard];
[Total Scoreboard].
As the game began, competition for rankings was fierce, with scores rapidly changing.
Names constantly scrolled across the board. Sometimes the first place would slide to the bottom in minutes.
Some rose up suddenly, dominating the top spot.
Even just a few minutes in first place was enough for many students to brag about.
One enticing aspect of this scoring game was the immediate feedback, providing a sense of achievement and excitement, allowing students to readily find satisfaction and joy.
Unlike ordinary people addicted to mobile games, students striving for higher scores in the maze needed to study harder, master more magic, and delve deeply into various subjects. Therefore, the professors encouraged participation instead of hindering it.